A FORMER dairy site should be turned into houses, business facilities and a tea room instead of going into disrepair.

A neighbourhood development plan has been submitted for Hatfield Peverel, which outlines how the village will be developed up until 2033.

A steering group for the neighbourhood plan consulted with residents over what they wanted to see happen.

One of their preferences was to see the Arla Dairy site in Bury Lane developed into housing.

The report for the neighbourhood plan said: "The parish supports development of the Arla site and will be part of the consultation process around future use of the site in order that maximum benefit is achieved for the village in a mixed use development.

"Suitable uses for this site are seen as affordable housing, retirement housing, apartments or starter homes, small business units, workshops, offices, gym facilities, a work hub, nursery facilities and a cafe or tea room.

"This site is a brownfield site and has the potential to provide for both housing and employment as a comprehensive development area.

"This should be considered in preference to greenfield sites outside the present development boundary.

"Compared to other sites it also has less of the undesirable impact on nearby residents arising from access issues and loss of landscape amenity."

The site closed in July this year and residents do not want it to go into disrepair.

Leslie Priestley, parish councillor, said: "We are in contact with Arla's planning consultant - we are hoping to get some sort of mixed development for employment and accommodation for young people.

"The site has a lot of things going for it and we would prefer to see a brownfield site developed over greenfield sites in the parish.

"What we definitely do not want is a site that just lays there.

"We are sad to lose a local employer but we hope something positive comes out of it."

Hatfield Peverel's neighbourhood development plan was discussed at a Braintree Council Local Plan Sub-Committee meeting on September 5.